


Put Me In Coach

by Sandyclaws68



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Athletic Trainer Iruka, Baseball, Centerfielder Kakashi, Community: kakairu_fest, Gen, Nine weeks of summer, Pre-Relationship, Week 1 Summer Sports
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:22:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25070836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandyclaws68/pseuds/Sandyclaws68
Summary: Iruka's love for baseball was cemented at a fairly young age. . .
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Comments: 4
Kudos: 53
Collections: Nine Weeks of Summer 2020





	Put Me In Coach

The first time Iruka Umino saw Kakashi Hatake throw a runner out at home plate from centerfield he felt his heart skip a beat.

He was watching the Little League World Series with his grandfather, the championship game between Japan and the United States. Iruka, having been born in the States to Japanese immigrants, had been briefly torn about which team to root for until his grandfather had reminded him that the nation of one’s birth was not the whole story of their identity and that he would be Japanese no matter where in the world he went.

And during player introductions when the tall, lanky, pale-haired Hatake said his favorite Major League Baseball team was the San Francisco Giants, well, that just sealed the deal. And being a centerfielder, like Iruka was. So he cheered wildly for the nation of his parents’ birth, feeling a connection to something other than the Japanese language for perhaps the first time in his life.

Two years later he found himself playing in the Little League World Series, although his team lost its first two games and was eliminated early. Still, the experience had a profound effect on his life, setting him on the course that would eventually lead right back to where he had started at the age of ten.

To Kakashi Hatake.

****~**~**~**~**~****

A dozen years later Iruka was in the massive laundry room inside Oracle Park, folding the dozens of towels that were used every day during strength training sessions when he heard a sound in the adjacent locker room. Since most of the team was on the field for batting practice he was curious enough to abandon his work and glance around the door.

A slender form sat huddled before one of the lockers, head hanging. The distinctive silvery hair gave Iruka a moment’s pause before he recognized the player. He had known that the Giants had signed the Japanese phenom to bolster their flagging outfield but had never expected to encounter him. Hatake was known to be almost fanatical in his devotion to taking care of himself and rarely needed the attention of any of the team's training staff.

But the blood dripping to the floor between his feet suggested that he did now.

Iruka quickly started forward, an exclamation of surprise escaping his lips. Hatake started and turned, pinning the trainer in place with his penetrating, steel-grey stare. The moment stretched between them, the centerfielder tense and suspicious and Iruka fidgeting with the need to help the other man.

Finally Hatake spoke, stumbling a little over the English words. “Dr. Phillips told me a trainer would be here.” He held up his left hand, blood oozing from a split between his middle and ring finger.

Iruka bowed instinctively before moving closer. “I’m part of the training staff,” he replied, reaching out for the other man’s hand. “Let me take a look.”

Hatake’s eyes widened at the flawless Japanese, then he chuckled. “If I had known there was someone on staff that spoke fluent Japanese I would have been more willing to visit.”

“You shouldn’t be hiding any aches or pains because of a language barrier, Hatake-san” Iruka replied with a stern glance, pulling the other man towards the first aid table in the corner. “You can always ask for me in the future if you’re not fully comfortable with English.”

“I’d need to know your name for that.”

Iruka glanced up from where he was cleaning the cut. “It’s Iruka. Umino Iruka.” He rolled his eyes when the other man’s lips twitched, fighting off a grin. “Yes, I know.  _ Dolphin of the Sea _ . Go ahead and laugh.”

“No worse than  _ Scarecrow in Farmland _ .”

“Very appropriate for a centerfielder.” Iruka finished the last loop of the bandage and stepped back to admire his work. “I know it’s a little awkward but that’s a tough spot to bandage. I’m gonna put you on IR for three days, just to be safe. And yes, it’s necessary, so don’t even think about arguing.”

Hatake hung his head in fake submission before glancing up with a glint in his eye. “Yes, Iruka-sensei. And please, call me Kakashi.”

**Author's Note:**

> I had to write about baseball, because words cannot describe how much I miss that sport in the midst of this pandemic.
> 
> Kakashi plays for the San Francisco Giants because they are my favorite team. He plays center field because of the GOAT, Willie Mays, and John Fogarty's fantastic song of the same name. :)


End file.
